Evidence from the parliamentary inquiry into the process that saw former deputy premier John Barilaro given a plum trade job will be referred to NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The inquiry is investigating why Mr Barilaro was appointed as the state's trade commissioner to the US after it was offered to deputy secretary of Investment NSW Jenny West.
Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday morning said the reports from Monday's inquiry were "concerning".
"There is absolutely no place for gifts of government jobs, whether they are statutory appointments or whether they are government sector appointments," he said.
As the fallout from the appointment continues, Committee Chair and Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann said the transcript from Monday's hearing would be sent to the corruption watchdog after the inquiry was told the US job would be a "present for someone".
"Hearing something like that in a upper house or in any inquiry really we have an obligation to refer to ensure ICAC knows that that occurred," Ms Faehrmann said.
Ms West told the inquiry on Monday that she was initially offered the role in August 2021 and was even sent a briefing note signed by then-premier Gladys Berejiklian, before everything changed.
Ms West told the inquiry she was informed two months later she would no longer be getting the job, which would instead “be a present for someone”.
It was last month announced that Mr Barilaro would get the role, which is based in New York and comes with a $500,000 annual salary package.
But Mr Barilaro withdrew from the position, which he created as trade minister, after intense media scrutiny of the state government's recruitment process and criticism from his former colleagues, including Transport Minister David Elliott.
In a statement last month, he said his position had become untenable and believed his appointment would "continue to be a distraction and not allow this important role to achieve what it was designed to do".
Ms West told the inquiry she had a Teams meeting on October 14 with Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown, who told her she would not be getting the job, despite Ms Brown texting her on August 12 congratulating her on the role.
Ms West told the inquiry she was told her role as deputy secretary would also be made redundant.
"In the space of four weeks, I went from being appointed to the role of the senior trade and investment commissioner for the Americas to potentially not having a job," she said.
She read the inquiry an email she wrote to her lawyers after the meeting, which recounted Ms Brown telling her that she had spoken with Trade Minister Stuart Ayres who had taken over the deputy premier's portfolio and confirmed she would not be getting the role.
In a statement, Mr Ayres said he rejected any suggestion that he "exerted political influence on the recruitment process".
"Amy Brown is and was the decision maker for this role. Her evidence has been clear and consistent that this is a decision for the Secretary and one I did not influence," he said.
Last month, Mr Perrottet announced he would commission an independent review, which he said is currently being conducted by former NSW public service commissioner Graeme Head.
"Once I receive that review, which I expect to have back in a couple of weeks, I will make that public and I will immediately respond to any of the recommendations that are made."
